Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Status Of State's Hundreds Of Same-Sex Marriages In Doubt

Stan Jastrzebski
/
WBAA News

The status of marriages between same sex couples in Indiana is still up in the air after a federal appeals court Friday stopped same-sex marriages until the state’s appeal can be heard. 

Last Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young ruled Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.  Within hours, same-sex couples across the state were getting legally married. 

Two days later, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of the decision until the appeals process is finished.  That’s left same-sex couples who got married in between those two rulings unsure of the legal standing of their unions. 

Indiana University law professor David Orentlicher says there is certainty when it comes to federal recognition.

“Whether it’s tax returns for next year or it’s pension benefits – anything that’s regulated by federal law, the Obama administration has said they will be treated as legally married,” Orentlicher says.

But the Indiana Attorney General’s office says recognition of those marriages by the state is still undetermined -- and that a court may have to sort out the issue.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.
Related Content